Archive of Our Own

“Well, it looks like your overtime just increased,” A high-pitched yawn made Nanami’s ears vibrate. “So much for “ending this no matter what,’” Nanami groaned quietly in frustration, breathing heavily as he tried to push the massive slab of concrete off his left shoulder. The air around him felt, tasted, smelled like salty dust, prickling him all over. Once he finally managed to move the weight off his shoulder and sat up, Nanami was greeted with the cursed spirit lounging a mere foot away from him. His eyes raked all over Nanami in derision and he chuckled to himself, as if Nanami was the victim of some immature joke. 

Hm , he did not sign up for this.

“Are we not on speaking terms anymore?” The spirit asked dramatically, sighing and tipping his head back against the rubble behind him. Nanami couldn’t find it in himself to respond, already too tired from the day’s troubles—it wasn’t helpful that he found this spirit particularly irksome. “That’s a shame! I was enjoying our perceptive conversation,” Nanami doubted anything about their previously exchanged words were insightful in the slightest, though he could let the spirit believe what he wanted. 

“Listen—” Nanami finally started with a strained voice, but the spirit was quick to cut him off. 

“Yes!” He all but squealed. “I was scared I’d be talking to a wall while we’re stuck here,” He chuckled, bringing his hands to rest behind his head and crossing his right leg over the left. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, seemingly unaffected by the predicament the two had found themselves in. They were both trapped under the underground debris, and it would be difficult and exhausting to try to worm his way out of the cave that had formed around them. However, this didn’t explain why the spirit was still with him. 

“Why haven’t you freed yourself yet?” Nanami asked firmly, using his arms to push himself up to sit more comfortably. “You can easily get out of here, yet you’re sitting with me. What is your plan? Will you kill me, or use me for your experiments?” They sat in stuffed silence for a beat before Mahito shrugged, exuding enough nonchalance to be aggravating. 

“I don’t feel like it. I would rather stay with you, you are quite …a delight,” He murmured in a sly voice, making Nanami’s breath hitch in surprise. For the first time in his life, Nanami failed to analyze a cursed spirit after spending so much time with it. This one was…different. He was unique, intense, and so damn infuriating that Nanami could feel the spirit stinging all over his skin. He was a special type of cursed spirit and definitely knew how to use that to his advantage, making him a dangerous case that needed to be dealt with. Perhaps if Nanami indulged enough, he could learn more. 

“ I’m a delight?” He inquired, biting his tongue when genuine curiosity laced the question. The spirit chuckled far too knowingly, finally opening his eyes and blinking slowly. 

“Hm, yes you are. I’ve never met a person like you…,” He trailed off, knitting his eyebrows in mock confusion. “You are very fun to fight, but there is something about that I can’t quite crack. You seem like you hate your job, but you are so good at it—how?” He questioned and Nanami sighed in exasperation. 

“What did I say about open-ended questions again?” He asked, almost scolded, bringing his hands to pinch the bridge of his nose. He flinched when he felt sudden movements, instinctively moving back against the wall when he saw the cursed spirit crawl towards him. Sweat trickled down the side of his head as the spirit moved closer , looking up at Nanami with a wide grin. He almost looked like a cat ready to pounce on Nanami—down on all fours as his ears twitched in excitement. 

“You said you hate them,” He answered in a proud voice. “That is precisely why I asked. A first grade sorcerer like you, Kento Nanami , cannot possibly hate his job,” He hypothesized. 

“You’d be surprised,” Nanami answered monotonously and tipped his head back, making the cursed spirit laugh. He found himself scoffing at how the spirit’s laughter somehow didn’t annoy the cursed energy out of him. He was still on the defense due to the earlier attack on his soul. If Nanami would be spending an indefinite amount of time with this spirit, he couldn’t rely on his subconsciousness anymore. 

“Oh, trust me, I am,” The spirit responded. “I know jujutsu sorcery hurts your soul and you do it regardless. I don’t understand why,” 

“Do you really have to enjoy everything you do in life?” Nanami asked, glaring harder. “I was needed as a sorcerer, of course that is more important than my own feelings right now,” He explained with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest in defense. 

“That’s what makes you weak!” The spirit suddenly exclaimed in excitement. “No wonder you lost against—”

“I did not lose ,” Nanami suddenly retorted, sighing in frustration when he walked right into the spirit’s trap. Surprisingly, he chose to double down. “I had you right where I wanted you,” He started, snapping his jaw shut in discomfort for a moment when the spirit’s eyes narrowed in…satisfaction? Nanami chose to pay it no mind, instead he continued. “I was walking away. It was your immature cursed energy that trapped us under this debris. I suggest working on that,” He taunted quietly. This conversation seemed to be going nowhere—at least on Nanami’s end. It seemed that every word he was speaking was getting the spirit closer and closer to his hidden end goal. If he wanted to get anything out of this, he would have to play offense. “What about you?” Nanami began, tired of listening to the spirit prate about his previous statements. The spirit stopped talking immediately, staring at Nanami with a blank look. His blue hair was beginning to fall over his eyes and he didn’t shake his head until Nanami began elaborating on his question. 

“You seem to actually enjoy whatever it is that you are doing. Why is that? Cursed spirits aren’t supposed to have such articulate feelings and opinions,” Nanami said pointedly, watching closely as the spirit seemed to ponder on his words.  

“I am quite exceptional as you have seen,” The spirit bragged, shifting his weight on his left arm only so he could run his fingers through his hair. “I was also born from hatred. I rose from the flames of human detestation. Failed marriages, disdainful students, angry parents, your dislike for your job; it all created me . Of course, I enjoy this, otherwise, I simply would not do it,” He rested a hand on Nanami’s knee, scratching against his pants. The answer was perfectly roundabout and Nanami wasn’t above finding great annoyance in this petulant spirit…again. Nanami sighed deeply, trying his best to ignore the hand clawing at his knee. He rested his head against the wall behind him to give his neck a break.

“You are a lost spirit,” He spoke in a low voice, making the spirit tilt his head in confusion. “Do you even know who you are?” Nanami asked and his pounding head made him pray desperately for a straightforward answer. 

“Of course, I do. I am Mahito,” The spirit said nonchalantly, scanning Nanami’s face for some sort of reaction. “I have a clear goal in mind—to destroy you. Just like it is your goal to destroy me,” Mahito rambled and Nanami almost scoffed because that was definitely not his goal. Though, he let the spirit reveal everything. Unfortunately for Nanami, Mahito cut himself to think something else over. “You know, if you really think about it, we are very alike,” He grinned again when Nanami involuntarily let out a quiet gasp. 

“We are not ,” 

“Yes, we are!” The spirit insisted, but it made Nanami’s blood boil like nothing else. If there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was comparison. It fueled nothing but paranoia and depressive feelings. So he refused to be compared to anyone, and especially to a cursed spirit. 

“I hate those without a true moral compass, I despise killing others, and I loathe mind games,” Nanami defended himself, feeling agitated all over his body. Mahito leaned his face even closer to Nanami’s and he could see the intricate stitches even better now. They were all but seeping into Mahito’s skin, as if he had been woven together by someone with hands that were far too caring. 

“‘Hate,’” Mahito chuckled knowingly, making Nanami’s breath hitch again. “‘Despise…loathe,’” Mahito mumbled, closing his eyes to breathe in happily. He opened them again, staring at Nanami with an eerily serene face. It made dread trickle into Nanami’s veins and he held his breath to anticipate what the spirit would say next. “That all sounds like something I would say, no?” He asked innocently, letting out a high pitched hum as Nanami tried to begin processing what the spirit had just said. “Hate, despise, loathe—such strong words!” Mahito exclaimed like he was complimenting Nanami, who was all but frozen under him.  

Were they really alike? No, of course they were not. Nanami stood above what it meant to be a cursed spirit, and there was no way in hell he would let that wretched parity define him. 

“Hate, despise, loathe…,” Mahito mumbled over and over again, almost to himself. He was also chuckling under his breath like he was telling himself a joke. “I should start using that. “I loathe mankind!” Could you imagine how great I would look? How they will all shake in fear? Like they shudder under you ,”  

In an uncharacteristic fit of rage, Nanami grabbed Mahito’s vest, twisting his hand so the cloth bunched up between his fingers. The material was a surprising velvet, almost soft and comforting against Nanami’s rugged and tired fingers. His surprise was a brief flicker in time, but Mahito’s eyes suddenly glistened in what Nanami could only describe as a twisted victory.  

******

This. Was. So. Fun ! 

Ever since learning about Jujutsu Sorcerers, Mahito had been itching to meet Kento Nanami. He had watched everyone from afar and something about the exasperating energy radiating off of Nanami was enough to pique his interest. Nanami was reserved and blunt, but had the skills and power to back that up. He thought ahead, was calculated, and fought ruthlessly. His stance was powerful and elegant, his hair flowed just right in the wind, his muscles highlighted his features rather beautifully, and— Oh…had Mahito started listing his favorite of Nanami’s physiques? Hm, he couldn’t really care enough to be ashamed of that.

Unlike other people, Nanami wouldn’t leave Mahito’s thoughts. He found himself trying to pick apart the man from afar and when that had not worked, he had resorted to imagining what their interactions would be like. The soul barred itself open whenever its body conversed with another person—no matter who it was—and Mahito just needed one conversation with the man to dissect him.   

If only it were that easy. 

He finally had Nanami where he wanted and Mahito found concentrating on his words harder than he had anticipated. Mahito had found himself being…attracted to Nanami? Well, the others had said he may be capable of emotions other than sadism. 

Although, perhaps lust was not what they had in mind. 

Nanami was gripping his vest quite tightly, in turn pulling Mahito closer to him—much to the spirit’s delight. It seemed Mahito had figured out how to get under Nanami’s skin, meaning it would be even more of a delight to fight him in the future. Now that he knew things Nanami hated, Mahito could easily figure out what the man liked—and how to get on that list himself. 

“What’s the matter, Nanami?” He asked softly, unable to keep a snicker in when the man narrowed his eyes in irritation. Nanami let go of his shirt, clenching and unclenching his fingers as Mahito watched. Quite the sight to see, but Mahito knew they could do better. Mahito chuckled deeply, watching Nanami watch him. “Did that make you upset?” He asked and planted both of his hands on the man’s knees. “Why aren’t you responding?” He used his knees to crawl forward slightly, making the older man’s swallow discreetly. “I hope I didn’t—”

“What are you trying to do ?” Nanami asked, voice heavy and a little desperate. Maybe his infatuation with Nanami was rooted in sadism after all because his distress sent a thrill down Mahito’s spine. If he could have Nanami like that forever, maybe decimating mankind wouldn’t be the greatest joy anymore. 

“You…,” He trailed off, scoffing when Nanami raised an alarmed eyebrow. “You need me to back up?” Mahito asked, stifling a sinister laughter. 

Surprisingly, he received no answer. Unsurprisingly, this did wonders for Mahito’s ego. 

“I just made a simple comparison—”

“An incorrect one,” Nanami finally responded. He was still stuck on their similarities, much to Mahito’s sly endearment. If Mahito were to give the sorcerer some credit, the comparison was made in poor taste. Little did Nanami know it was simply rooted in Mahito’s fixation on him—nothing he actually believed. Although, they could definitely go longer without Nanami figuring that out.  

“Hm, I don’t think so,” He disagreed, crawling forward again so he had climbed almost completely on top of Nanami. Still, the man did nothing to stop him, but he did tremble ever so slightly under Mahito’s tight grip on his chest. “There is no difference between us…except maybe you lie to yourself unlike me. But that's okay, I’ll let it slide because it is just so interesting to watch you fight battles in your head,” Mahito taunted, licking his lips when Nanami grinded his teeth together. He looked like he was about to fire some vile words Mahito’s way, but the spirit silenced him when he leaned down so their noses were almost touching. “You cannot argue your way out of this,” He whispered, grabbing Nanami’s bruised shoulder and making him groan in pain. “Because your soul knows the truth…,” Mahito trailed off, moving his head to the side so his right cheek was pressed against Nanami’s left. “And worst of all, I know the truth about you, Nanami,” He hummed once he felt heat radiating against his cheek—it was all the confirmation Mahito needed. He finally pushed himself off the man’s body, tuning out whatever Nanami was rambling in response as he simply stared at him. 

This was going to be fun .